Apparatus for separating materials



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

M. A. WALKER APPARATUS FOR SEPARA'I'ING MATERIALS Dec. 20, 1949 Filed Jan. 50, 1947 Mara/s4 Wallwz;

Dec. 20 949.

A. WALKER APPARATUS FOR SEPARATIN 2 Sheat-S 2 flrst mentioned objective compllsh PatentadDac-ZQIMO.

2,491,912 I APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING MATERIALS Marcus A. Walker, Lackawanna, Pa; J

Application January 30, 1947, Serial No. 725,354

' 4 Claims. (01. zoo-s93) m invention relates to an apparatus for se rating materials of different specific gravities by immersing them in a fluid having a specific gravity which is intermediate the specific gravities of the materials being separated.

It is now no longer new to provide such an apparatus in the form of superposed conveyors dipplng'into a vessel containing the separating fluid and adapted to receive the materials for separation at various levels and thereafter to v convey the separated materials from the separating fluid as required. In devices of this type, the

conveyors usually operate in troughs which are perforated to permit the separation fluid to be drained of! as the separated materials are progreased along by the conveyors. The J eflicient drainage operation of such a trough has anim- V portant bearing on the successful functioning ofthe'appara'tus as a whole. I

Accordingly one object of my invention is .the provision of an apparatus of the type mentioned in which clogging and choking of the drainage Omtion is substantially eliminated. Another l2 and troughs or drainage sieves i3 and I4 associated with the lower and upper helicoid conveyors II and II respectively. The inclined tank is of a conventional fluid tight construction having an inclined bottom member [6, end members II, It and I9 and side members 20 and need not be described here in detail. The material to be separated enters the tank ill by chute II. The

.lower conveyor II as well as the upper one II are mounted in the tank l0 so that their lower portions are immersed in the separation fluid.

As will be appreciated by the skilled artisan,-

bearings 22, 23 and support the-lower conveyor ll for-rotary movement by power transmitted through gear 25 mounted on the shaft 2' of the lower conveyor, II. The semi-circular drainage sieve or trough I3 is mounted in the tank immediately below the lower conveyor II with a metal to metal operating contact between I the outside edge of the conveyor I I and the inside surface of the drainage sieve as indicated in Fig.

. 5; The trough or drainage sieve It consists of a plurality of bars (Fig. 5) having a rectangular object of myinvention is therattainment of the nomical means'aspossible.

.Still further-advantages and objects'of my in by as simple and coovention will become apparent from the following 1 detailed description of a preferred form of my are welded or soldered to the bars 30 and spacers invention which is shown illustratively in the accompanying drawings. e

Fig. 1.0! the drawings, shows a. longitudinal sectional view of a tton. r v Pig. 2 shows a plan view of 18.1.

preferred form of my inventhetop trough or 3;

cross section and av plurality of short wedge shaped spacers 3i interposed at intervals between the bars and held in assembly by means of metal U-shaped supporting members}! whose ends are extended upward and suitably mounted on the sides 20 of the tank l0. The U-shaped su'pport- .ing members 32 at each end of the sieve or trough 'II to effect a permanent assembly thereof. Lon- Fig. 3 shows .a transverse section taken'as indi- I I -catedbythearrowsIII--I1Iinl3'ig.l.

Fig. 4 shows a transverse staggered section taken as indicated by the arrows Ive-1V in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse section ofa trough w the assembly of tion illustrated in the drawings,-a speciflcfterminology will be resorted to for the sake'of clarity.

However, it is'fto be understood that there is no intention of being limited to the specific terms troughbars and spacer describing the prererred'rnrm er my inveng'itudinallyextending aprons 33- suitably mounted on the supporting members 32 serve to avoid the backing up of material along the upper edges of v y the sieves it and I4.

The wedge shaped spacers are relatively short in length and are positioned intermittently along the length of the rough and may be located in the area of and supported by the strap-members 32 as shown in Fig. 5, so as to' leave a maximum of opening between the bars 30 for the passage of material therethrough. The function of the wedge shaped spacers Si is to properly position the bars It to provide narrow slit-like openings between the bars 30 which increase in size toward the bottom surface of the trough. The wedge shaped spacers Ii are so designed that thespacer loselected, but on the contrary. each specific is intended to include all technical equiva lents which operate in a similar manner .to acasimilarpurpose.

iaeie -nngnnw to Fig.'1,- it will'beseen that the invention may be resolved'into. the following 1 components: an inclined tank |l.a lower 1 conveyor 1 I, an upper helicoid conveyor bars 30 are-separated at their top edges by a distance of about .02 of an inch. Thus by this construction a drainage trough or sieve is provided with openings which gradually increase in size, the openings being smallest at the inner surface of the trough and largest at the outer surface of the trough. It has been found in practice that a drainagesieve so constructed is self-clearing.

3 and the openings do not become blinded by drain- I use matter.

The upper conveyor II is shorter but otherwise similar to the lower conveyor II and is rotatably supported in the tank It by bearings", 36 and 31. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, power is transmitted for rotating the conveyor I! through the gear 40 mounted on shaft 4|. The drainage sieve I4 is mounted immediately underneath conveyor I! with a metal to I metal operating contact and is constructed the same as drainage sieve it except that a portion is cut out at 42 as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in order to allow the heavier material to sink through the separation fluid into the sieve i3. Discharge chutes 45 and 48 are provided to receive materials from the upper and lower conveyors. Sprays 41 are provided for cleaning the separated materials, and pressure inlets 48 are provided for agitating the separating fluid as will be well understood by the art.

Thus my invention provides an efflcient self clearing and non-blinding drainage sieve or screen which is simple and inexpensive to construct. Rectangular bars are standard and relatively easy to obtain, and the short wedge shaped spacers may be made easily and economically. This drainage screen or sieve is here shown as used in a particular form of apparatus for separating materials, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the screen or sieve may be used advantageously for removing any small sized material from a heterogeneous mixture of sizes. The screen or sieve functions more effectively when the material to be separated is fed to the screen accompanied by wash water or its equivalent. Thus various changes and modifications may be made in the preferred and illustrative form of my invention as described above without departing from the spirit thereof as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for separating materials including a conveyor means for progressing materials being separated, a drainage screen positioned under said conveyor means in operative contact therewith, said drainage screen having in the inner surface thereof narrow longitudinal slotlike openings which widen toward the outer surface of the drainage screen.

4 therbytheiactthatsaiddrainsgescreencomprises a plurality of bars of rectangular crosssection. a plurality of short wedge shaped spacers interposed between said bars, a plurality oi U- shaped members for supporting said bars and spacers in permanent assembly.

3. In an apparatus for separating heterogeneous materials of differing speciiic gravities, a retary conveyor means. a plurality of bars of rectangular cross section positioned radially around the bottom portion of said conveyor means in operative contact therewith to form outwardly extending diverging openings between said bars, a plurality of short wedge-shaped spacers between said bars and a plurality of narrow U- shaped members supporting said bars and said wedge-shaped spacers in permanent assembly as 2. The invention of claim '1 characterized fur- H a concave trough.

4. In an apparatus for separating heterogeneous materials 01' diflering specific gravities, a drainage screen formed with an arcuate crosssectional shape and having formed therein narrow longitudinal slot-lik openings which widen toward the outer surface of the drainage screen, and a screw conveyor means having a radius substantially the same as the arc of the cross-section of said screen, said screw conveyor being positioned in said screen in operative contact therewith whereby materials lodged in said slot-like openings in said screen may be progressively sub- Ject to longitudinal clearance action or the screw conveyor and from other material being moved along said slot-like openings.

MARCUS A. WALKER.

asraaancas crran The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Erck Juyll, 1944 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,491,912 December 20, 1949 MARCUS A. WALKER It is hereb certified that errors appear in the above numbered patent requiring correction as fo ows:

In the grant, line 3, address of inventor, for Lackawanna, Pennsylvania read Scranton, Pennsylvania; in the heading to the printed specification, line 3, for

Lackawanna, Pa. read Scranton, Pa.; and in the printed specification, column 2, line 38, for the word rough read trough;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of May, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommz'ssioner of Patents. 

